Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Nearly two years ago, I took a sock knitting class at a local yarn shop. I loved it, and a new addiction was born. I learned to knit as a kid but was never really "into" it... until I found socks. That first pair was pretty plain, knitted using a very forgiving sport weight sock yarn and size 4 or 5 needles.

The ultra-boring 2 x 2 rib pattern and larger size needles kept things simple so that we could learn the basic principles of sock knitting. And learn them I did! :) The moment that first pair was finished, I immediately purchased more yarn, plus a couple of basic sock-knitting books. More yarn came home, and soon my laptop had multiple folders devoted to sock patterns that I had collected online. When I'm not sewing, or stitching, or gardening, or weaving baskets, or any of the other thousand things that I love to do, I'm knitting socks. But like so many things, I usually forget to take pictures. So, here are just a few that I've made in the last year...

A few days ago, I visited the local yarn shop to look for some of my favorite sock yarn (Bamboobaa, if you're wondering). I picked up these lovelies and, of course, promptly started knitting yet another pair of socks.

On the sewing front, I'm working on a new pair of shorts from McCall's 5391. I picked up the pattern during one of the recent pattern sales at Joann. It's similar to the last pair I made (McCall's 5857), but the waist isn't so high and I was able to purchase the pattern in the correct size. So far, these seem to be working better than the other pattern. The fabric is left over from a pair of pants that I made last year. It's not the fabric I would choose, but it was good for a first run of this pattern.

Some good news about that last pair of shorts I made-- they're not as bad as I first thought. They aren't good... the waist is way too high and gives a definite "mom jeans" vibe... but they work well with some of my summer tops that aren't worn tucked in. The great news is that they are really comfortable to wear. So, I guess they weren't a tragic fail after all. I still won't be making that pattern again, though.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Once again, I've been remiss in updating my blog. I have good intentions. Really, I do... but alas, I suffer from really poor follow-through. Again, my excuse is pictures and the fact that I can't seem to get the remote for my camera to work. Because I'm too lazy to figure out what's wrong, or just take the pictures using the timer, I've decided to renew Wilma's modelling contract. These clothes... the ones that turned out, anyway... look much better on a real person than they do on Wilma, but it's the best I can do at the moment.

First up, Butterick 4789, the Maggie London twist top dress that so many have sewn. When I brought home this fabric (from the "red tag" section at Joann's), BF informed me that it looked like the seat cover for a 1975 Chevy Nova. But even he grudgingly admits that he likes this dress. The fit is just perfect, particularly at the neckline, and it has fisheye darts in the back for shaping. All in all, very flattering!

Next we have McCall's 6326. I can't tell you how much I love this top. It's sooooo comfortable and easy to wear, and so much nicer than a t-shirt. If it wasn't such a distinctive style, I'd probably make a bunch of these. As it is, I plan to try one of the other views. I even have the fabric picked out. Unfortunately, what I *don't* have is the pattern. Somehow, I have misplaced it. I'm sure it will turn up again... these things always do. I just hope it's still summer when it happens. I'd hate to have to wear one of these with a winter coat. LOL

Last, and most certainly LEAST, is Vogue 8032. I love the design. Unfortunately, the finished top leaves much to be desired. The armscye on this is drafted so low that it was practically at my knees. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea. I tried a couple of different fixes, none of which fixed it enough to make it wearable. Someone on PatternReview had an excellent idea about adding contrast fabric to raise the armscye and treat it as a design feature. I just might try that... but probably not soon. Another member suggessted wearing it under a jacket, also a good idea and will probably save this from the trash bin in the end. I love the fabric, so finding some way to wear this would be nice.

And in case you're wondering how bad the armscye still looks after my attempts to fix it...